Wicklow 200-Yay or Nay

billyhead

Folks,

I don't like dragging up old information but could you give me an unbiased opinion is the Wicklow 200 worth registering for. I keep hearing conflicting reports about whether or not its worth 50 yo yos

shapez

This is really a personal thing. As far as I'm aware, none of the Wicklow 200 fee goes towards a charity. Whereas with The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford some of your 40E entry goes towards Sean's charties. Then you have the new E'tape Hibernia at 54E and there are no charities there at the moment.

It's really a personal thing. I have often come across cyclist on the Wicklow 200 that haven't paid anything and "tag" along for the day. They do miss out on the medal, shirt, showers, changing rooms, food, etc. if you haven't registered.

Lumen

No amount of fancy sandwiches could make the WW200 fun.

I hope that one day I can make it around without moaning. Until that day comes I'll keep entering.

Unfortunately this year I can't do it so the demon will have to wait another year to be slain.

ROK ON

My only critique of the level of the fee would be the following.
1 very few water stops versus other sportifs that I have done.
2 long queues at start, finish and sandwich stops.
3 crap food during and after the event.

However it was good fun. I will hope to do some variant of it this year but may actually start in Dublin and do my own thing.
I think as a fundraising event by IVCA it is laudable but they should realise that other sportifs have upped the ante regarding what you get for your dough.
I do think the organisers are aware of some of the problems at last years event and they have promised to try and rectify this.
If you live Wicklow Dublin or the hinterland you cancycle the ourse anytime you like. On that basis it becomes a question of how much do you mind fundraising for the IVCA and what do you expect for the money that you hand over.
Hope this helps.

tunney

billyhead wrote: »

Folks,

I don't like dragging up old information but could you give me an unbiased opinion is the Wicklow 200 worth registering for. I keep hearing conflicting reports about whether or not its worth 50 yo yos

Its not worth it.

Sandwich €5 - any cafe in wicklow
Cup of tea €2 - any cafe in wicklow

Leaves you with €43 euro to buy stuff like energy bars and maybe a new tyre.

What you do get is a hugely increased risk of an accident (riding with muppets), and thats about it.

tunney

Lumen wrote: »

No amount of fancy sandwiches could make the WW200 fun.

I hope that one day I can make it around without moaning. Until that day comes I'll keep entering.

Unfortunately this year I can't do it so the demon will have to wait another year to be slain.

Remind me again why you are a mod on cycling?

Lumen

tunney wrote: »

Remind me again why you are a mod on cycling?

The pay is fantastic.

joker77

tunney wrote: »

What you do get is a hugely increased risk of an accident (riding with muppets), and thats about it.

That'll be me this year!

6 months ago the longest I'd cycled was 35Kms. Entering the W200 this year, can't wait.

07Lapierre

tunney wrote: »

Its not worth it.

Sandwich €5 - any cafe in wicklow
Cup of tea €2 - any cafe in wicklow

Leaves you with €43 euro to buy stuff like energy bars and maybe a new tyre.

What you do get is a hugely increased risk of an accident (riding with muppets), and thats about it.

I think you "Hit the Nail on the head" there. Anyone can ride the WW200 which means the organisers need insurance, and as we all know insurance is expensive. So if you tag along on the day..your not insured if you have an accident. Thats my theory anyway.

tunney

joker77 wrote: »

That'll be me this year!

6 months ago the longest I'd cycled was 35Kms. Entering the W200 this year, can't wait.

I'm not referring to people who are new to cycling necessarily.

More the muppets that think they are Lance Armstrong and pay no attention to other road users (be they cyclist on W200, car or someone out for a spin).

Its not a race, its not on closed roads, you do have to obey the rules of the road and be aware of your surroundings.

tunney

07Lapierre wrote: »

I think you "Hit the Nail on the head" there. Anyone can ride the WW200 which means the organisers need insurance, and as we all know insurance is expensive. So if you tag along on the day..your not insured if you have an accident. Thats my theory anyway.

Is there insurance? If there is I'd venture a guess is 3rd party only and won't cover personal injury nor damage/theft of bikes.

iregk

I think if you define "worth it" from a monetary point of view then not its not. You can cycle the route anytime yourself and get some sambos and drinks in shops along the way for a fraction of the cost.

That said if its the day/the event your after. Cycling with a load of others out for the sake of enjoyment and achievement whilst having some sort of organisation to things then yes in my opinion its worth it.

joker77

tunney wrote: »

I'm not referring to people who are new to cycling necessarily.

More the muppets that think they are Lance Armstrong and pay no attention to other road users (be they cyclist on W200, car or someone out for a spin).

Its not a race, its not on closed roads, you do have to obey the rules of the road and be aware of your surroundings.

Ah yea I know, jaysus I'm not looking to win the thing

blorg

07Lapierre wrote: »

I think you "Hit the Nail on the head" there. Anyone can ride the WW200 which means the organisers need insurance, and as we all know insurance is expensive. So if you tag along on the day..your not insured if you have an accident. Thats my theory anyway.

The insurance is not actually that expensive and the need for it could be _entirely_ removed if they simply required that all riders had a CI license or take out a one day license.

The Wicklow 200 is on no analysis good value but it is the monument as far as sportives in Ireland go so if you have not done it before I would say go for it.

tunney

joker77 wrote: »

Ah yea I know, jaysus I'm not looking to win the thing

LOL - thats my point. you can't, but people try...........

mloc123

I very much doubt insurance is covered by the entry fee...

07Lapierre

tunney wrote: »

Is there insurance? If there is I'd venture a guess is 3rd party only and won't cover personal injury nor damage/theft of bikes.

Agreed, 3rd party insurance. Last year i remember there was an "incident" with a car at the entrance to Powerscourt waterfall. If the rider involved was "tagging along" and not registed, he/she may have been hit with a hefty repair bill to the car involved (if they were liable that is).

Its just a theory..I mean the Sean Kelly Challenge is cheaper and some of the entry fee goes to charity.

mloc123

Also for the entry fee they should at least have chipped timing to cut down on all the messing with swiping in. I will not be paying to enter this year but will probably tag along if I know a fw people entering.

petethedrummer

Its worth doing if you're at all interested. I didn't particularly enjoy it myself, but then I don't enjoy anything much over 100kms. I'm glad I did it though. Also bear in mind that the much lauded ROK ran out of sandwiches at the last stop last year.

I'll be doing the Sean Kelly just to complete the big 3 of cyclo-sportives. I missed it last year due to a bout of laziness.

superrdave

what date is it on? and does anyone have the route?

joker77

superrdave wrote: »

what date is it on? and does anyone have the route?

http://www.wicklow200.ie/ - all info here, including route

tunney

joker77 wrote: »

http://www.wicklow200.ie/ - all info here, including route

Or just do it on a trainer - W200 computrainer course

shapez

About the insurance side of things. Surely your Cycling Ireland insurance will cover you no matter what or where you are on a bike in the world. That was my understanding of the CI insurance. You could be on a training spin or on your own or on the Wicklow 200, your CI insurance covered you, no matter what. Unless, I'm missing something in the small print somewhere.

blorg

shapez wrote: »

About the insurance side of things. Surely your Cycling Ireland insurance will cover you no matter what or where you are on a bike in the world. That was my understanding of the CI insurance. You could be on a training spin or on your own or on the Wicklow 200, your CI insurance covered you, no matter what. Unless, I'm missing something in the small print somewhere.

Yes, it does, that is why many sportives/audax events etc. require a CI license. That relieves the organisers of having to organise their own insurance.

IM0

and the insurance is all only third party right? - only 'usefull' if your to blame for the accident involving others

rottenhat

shapez wrote: »

or where you are on a bike in the world.

Is that bit true, or are you only covered in Ireland?

Limestone1

blorg wrote: »

Yes, it does, that is why many sportives/audax events etc. require a CI license. That relieves the organisers of having to organise their own insurance.

Presumably those in Clubs have these automatically included in their subs. How can your average Fred sign up and how much does it cost (the CI website is a bit vague and has been 'undergoing maintenance ' for registration for the last month)

blorg

rottenhat wrote: »

Is that bit true, or are you only covered in Ireland?

The insurance is worldwide, it is explicit on that.

Limestone1 wrote: »

Presumably those in Clubs have these automatically included in their subs. How can your average Fred sign up and how much does it cost (the CI website is a bit vague and has been 'undergoing maintenance ' for registration for the last month)

Yes, CI membership is included (or more correctly it is mandatory) if joining a club. It is generally itemised separately from your club subscription and the price depends on what sort of license you want, e.g. it costs more to get a racing license than a leisure license. The basic non-racing membership (independent, not through a club) is €10 if you have never been a CI member before or €20 otherwise.

bbosco

blorg wrote: »

The basic non-racing membership (independent, not through a club) is €10 if you have never been a CI member before or €20 otherwise.

That's for a one-day licence though? I bought an annual, non-racing, 'Un-attached' licence last year, to cover various sportives, and it cost something around €60.

sy

tunney wrote: »

What you do get is a hugely increased risk of an accident (riding with muppets), and thats about it.

Hmmm. Not all people who ride the W200 are muppets. Very sweeping statement. Yes you get all sorts of cyclists, experienced, first timers (inexperienced) racers, TT ers etc etc. They are mostly there to challenge themselves, ride with their group, club etc. It is by no means as well organised as other sportives but it is the original daddy and will always attract a large number of entrants of varying abilities. Which of course is the main purpose of the event ( and yes it does add to the coffers of the IVCA)

blorg

bbosco wrote: »

That's for a one-day licence though? I bought an annual, non-racing, 'Un-attached' licence last year, to cover various sportives, and it cost something around €60.

The introductory non-racing license is the same price as a one-day license, €10. It is for the whole year. Other licenses are more expensive.

Lumen

sy wrote: »

Hmmm. Not all people who ride the W200 are muppets. Very sweeping statement. Yes you get all sorts of cyclists, experienced, first timers (inexperienced) racers, TT ers etc etc.

...triathletes.

bbosco

blorg wrote: »

The introductory non-racing license is the same price as a one-day license, €10. It is for the whole year. Other licenses are more expensive.

Feck knows what I payed out for last year then although I seem to remember some reason why the introductory one wasn't sufficient for what I needed.

Bikerbhoy

tunney wrote: »

Its not worth it.




What you do get is a hugely increased risk of an accident (riding with muppets), and thats about it.

I dont think that is a fair comment, yes there are people who are doing it that are not experienced in bunch / group riding etc BUT they are as entitled as you or anybody else to participate.... Its up to you and the experienced riders to read and avoid situations these people may potentially cause....

oh and by the way an important point to remember its not just this so called group you need to worry about either Iv seen some CRAP cycling from club and team riders over the years , some really dangerous stuff... So its not just the novices we need to be aware of believe me......

velo.2010

Bikerbhoy wrote: »

Iv seen some CRAP cycling from club and team riders over the years , some really dangerous stuff... So its not just the novices we need to be aware of believe me......

And it was those same club guys who were falling over their arses last August trying to get a glimpse of LA in the park.

sy

Lumen wrote: »

...triathletes.

oops forgot

DirkVoodoo

sy wrote: »

oops forgot

Ugghh! Look at that bartape!

And put on some Goddamn pants!

niceonetom

tunney wrote: »

Or just do it on a trainer - W200 computrainer course

I think it's worth noting that the only voice strongly stating that the W200 is not only not worth paying for, it's not worth doing, is the the kind of rider who thinks that cycling is best done on your own. In a shed. or now, not at all. No offence tunney, but your opinion, while totally valid and all, is generally not very representative of the general guy-on-a-bike. Take that as you will.

For those of us who like being around other members of the human race (even triathletes) it certainly is worth doing the W200. It's a good course and a great challenge for many new to the sport. Yes, it probably is a bit riskier than just doing the course on a day when it's not full of thousands of other cyclists of differing abilities and skill level, but it's not hard to do it fairly safely. Dodgy riders are not hard to spot, and it's best to be selective about the wheels you follow. There are plenty of good riders too, so the chance to tag in with a strong group for a few miles is nice.

I still haven't decided whether I'll pay to do it officially or just do the route guerilla style/self-sufficient, but I'll be doing some version of the route either way. Its new start locale is more of an annoyance to me than any sambo dearth. Unless I ride to the start and ride home to attempt a W300... hmm...

Nietzschean

niceonetom wrote: »

Unless I ride to the start and ride home to attempt a W300... hmm...

WW300 now that sounds interesting... i'm signed up for the 200 anyway, might not have been the best food stops but didn't bother me too much.. main food stops in the ROK i didn't find any better but the banana/bar stations between them was nice. SK did more or less win hands down for food/organisation/marshalling imo. But for a first sportif the WW200 is early in the summer so i'd advice anyone new to do it, get it out of the way and every other one is more enjoyable since you know you'll finish it ok.

niceonetom

Nietzschean wrote: »

WW300 now that sounds interesting...

I'd be using the event as training for the big M and I'm torn between using it to try to do 200 with a fair amount of intensity, or making it a true test of endurance and adding on the ~90km it would take to get to and from Greystones... I fear that getting across town with 280km in my legs might be both nightmarish and very dangerous given how my reaction times suffer after a long day in the saddle. We'll see.

jwshooter

just do the ww200 ffs .what do you want rachel allen to make your sambos

ROK ON

jwshooter wrote: »

just do the ww200 ffs .what do you want rachel allen to make your sambos

Well if Rachel made some tart I could be persuaded to pay the money and do the WW200.

jwshooter

ROK ON wrote: »

Well if Rachel made some tart I could be persuaded to pay the money and do the WW200.

thought you were trying to lose a few pounds.

IM0

ROK ON wrote: »

Well if Rachel some tart, made a cake I could be persuaded to pay the money and do the WW200.

fyp

Lumen

Posts regarding the boards super-200 have been moved to here.

tunney

Bikerbhoy wrote: »

I dont think that is a fair comment, yes there are people who are doing it that are not experienced in bunch / group riding etc BUT they are as entitled as you or anybody else to participate.... Its up to you and the experienced riders to read and avoid situations these people may potentially cause....

I never said that they weren't entitled to do it, I said that no one should bother as its not the safest.

niceonetom wrote: »

I think it's worth noting that the only voice strongly stating that the W200 is not only not worth paying for, it's not worth doing, is the the kind of rider who thinks that cycling is best done on your own. In a shed. or now, not at all. No offence tunney, but your opinion, while totally valid and all, is generally not very representative of the general guy-on-a-bike. Take that as you will.

For those of us who like being around other members of the human race (even triathletes) it certainly is worth doing the W200. It's a good course and a great challenge for many new to the sport. Yes, it probably is a bit riskier than just doing the course on a day when it's not full of thousands of other cyclists of differing abilities and skill level, but it's not hard to do it fairly safely. Dodgy riders are not hard to spot, and it's best to be selective about the wheels you follow. There are plenty of good riders too, so the chance to tag in with a strong group for a few miles is nice.

I still haven't decided whether I'll pay to do it officially or just do the route guerilla style/self-sufficient, but I'll be doing some version of the route either way. Its new start locale is more of an annoyance to me than any sambo dearth. Unless I ride to the start and ride home to attempt a W300... hmm...

I have done plenty of sportives and some I would go back to tomorrow, particular the Tour of Stratford. I like the buzz and atmosphere of cycling in large groups. My issue isn't with the type of event or the type of rider on the W200, or the course. It is with the numbers of participants, their lack of a briefing from the organisers, and their disregard for the RoR and their lack of awareness of other road users. Whether this disregard for the RoR and other road users is down to a misconception that it is a closed road race I don't know but I believe that they are far too many people on this event. It might swell the coffers more to have more but it does nothing for the event.

(For the record I said I wasn't training not that I wasn't cycling, okay my longest ride last week was only 140km and I only rode 420km last week but I still think its enough to comment on cycling related topics)

72hundred

Nay. (Unless you've never done it)

irishmotorist

As previously said, I think it's definitely worth doing as a marque event but it's not worth the money. However, despite these recessionary times where I should be looking for value for money, and the sour taste I had in my mouth after nearly no food at the Donard stop last year, I've registered to do it again this year.

Maybe it's shallow, but I value the sense of achievement gained by training and doing it....and then cycling to work the next day.

roc_racer

I've paid for and done it once and its a buzz - I got to ride up the Wicklow gap on Kellys' wheel and rode with Martin Earley for a while too. No complaints about the food/organisation. Sure its busy and you have to keep your wits about you but thats all part of the day.

Having said that, next time I'll just pack some food and pick up the group along the way.

victorcarrera

Let,s not take ourselves too seriously here folks. Both of the following quotes were written by the same person.

Re: WW 200 Muppets

tunney wrote: »

... and their disregard for the RoR and their lack of awareness of other road users. Whether this disregard for the RoR and other road users is down to a misconception that it is a closed road race I don't know but I believe that they are far too many people on this event.
(For the record I said I wasn't training not that I wasn't cycling, okay my longest ride last week was only 140km and I only rode 420km last week but I still think its enough to comment on cycling related topics)

And from http://phoenixtriclub.com/blogs/tunney/

When I’m fresh I tend to hammer it everywhere, pay less attention to the rules of the road, cycle on the wrong side of the road and generally be a prick on two wheels (but its alright I wear my old clubs gear ). I’ve had near misses with buses, bikes, motorbikes and cars so I should really consider myself lucky that all that happened is I strained a few muscles.

Lumen

Stalker! :pac: